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After 10 months of reading, meeting every 2 weeks sharing, 3 hours in tonight’s meeting, and several ballots (with groans after each), 22 sixth through ninth graders arrived at their conclusion to a very super year:

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Summary: With the first ice’s skim on a sheep pail so thin it breaks when touched, one family’s winter begins in earnest. Next comes ice like panes of glass. And eventually, skating ice! Take a literary skate over field ice and streambed, through sleeping orchards and beyond. The first ice, the second ice, the third ice . . . perfect ice . . . the last ice .

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Summary: On a cold, wintry day in December of 1941, she was found wrapped in a quilt, stuffed in a kettle near the home of Hannah Spooner, an older townswoman known for her generosity and caring. But Blue finds it hard not to daydream about her mother, and over the course of one summer, she resolves to finally find out who she is. Her search leads her down a road of self-discovery that will change her life forever.

As a result of Friday’s additional 4 titles nominated, our list now includes 7 from almost every book club member. Of course there is some overlap, but it is still a long list. We are feverishly reading each other’s choices as well as comparing new titles that are still coming in.

After Eli, by Rebecca Rupp; Candlewick
“This was extremely moving and touching… I could actually understand him.” – CassidyBomb, by Steve Sheinkin; Roaring Book Press
“I liked how you heard different points of view from different characters.” – EthanBroken Lands, by Kate Milford; Clarion
“…the fireworks were part of what made it unnique.. even though there is a complex plot I understood.” – KristaChild of the Mountains, by Marilyn Sue Shank; Random House
“…events are described with details that give you an omniscient view from the writer.” – PonniCrow, by Barbara Wright; Random House
“The setting played a major role in the plot of this book, making the reader more engaged in the story and what was going on.” – BonnieDiamond in the Desert, by Kathryn Fitzmaurice; Viking
“…provides enough information, but the setting is the strongest point.” – SachiDogs of Winter, by Bobbie Pyron; Arthur Levine
“…the writing kept me engaged…” – BonnieDreamsleeves, by Coleen Paratore; Scholastic
“The concept is the solution, it is creative, and the whole book revolves around it.” – VarunyaEach Kindness, by Jacqueline Woodson; Nancy Paulsen Books
“The theme about kindness is everywhere…” – GokulFalse Prince, by Jennifer Nielsen; Scholastic
“…held back the story but the story was moving.” – ClaireIf Only, by Carole Geithner; Scholastic
“The plot is relate-able and is heartfelt and touching.” – PonniIn a Glass Grimmly, by Adam Gidwitz; Dutton
“…style was funny and a little scary…” – Ben H.Interrupted, by Rachel Coker; Zondervan
“Allie’s struggle after losing her mother really touched me.” – CassidyThe Last Princess, by Galaxy Craze; Little, Brown
“..spectacular plot twists and turns and there are several surprises.” – RebekahLaugh with the Moon, by Shana Burg; Delacourte
“You could connect with the characters.” – MikalaLions of Little Rock, by Kristin Levine; Putnam
“I felt that I could relate and think of them as a part of myself.” – SuryaMay B., by Caroline Starr Rose; Schwartz & Wade
“The main character had excellent character development…makes it distinguished.” – JessicaMerits of Mischief: the Bad Apple, by T. R. Burns; Aladdin
“… interesting plot and setting, both of which create a great story with strange yet humorous characters.” – AndrewMighty Miss Malone, by Christopher Paul Curtis; Random House
“It captures the emotions of the characters of that time period very well.” – MukilMiles to Go for Freedom, by Linda Barrett Osborne; Abrams
“…many first-person accounts… doesn’t need pictures.” – RamkishoreNo Crystal Stair, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson; Carolrhoda Books
“I liked… it first had an idea from one person’s view, then the same idea from another person’s view.” – AjayThe One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate; Harper
“Ivan influences his world in captivity more than his captors do, and his emotions are written effectively.” – MarthaOne for the Murphys, by Lynda Hunt; Penguin
“…emotionally written the whole way.” – VarunyaPrecious Bones, by Mika Ashley-Hollinger; Delacourte
“descriptive setting and well-written character development along with the other literary elements create an initeresting, and may I say “distinguished” book.” – AndrewRobbie Forest and the Outlaws of Sherwood St., by Peter Abrahams; Philomel
“…characters motivated me because even when no one trusted them, they still trusted themselves.” – ShreyaRush for the Gold, by John Feinstein; Knopf
“The writing style was exciting and fast-paced.” – Ben H.Son, by Lois Lowry; Houghton Mifflin
“It’s incredibly dramatic to go from a controlled dystopian city setting to an almost primitive village life… with a fantastic plot that ties it together neatly in the end.” – MehlynnSpindlers, by Lauren Oliver; Harper
“…theme of courage and love always makes me happy.” – ClaireSplendors and Glooms, by Laura Amy Schlitz; Candlewick
“I felt the characters came alive…” – EthanStarry River of the Sky, by Grace Lin; Little, Brown
“..compare the change in their personalities from start to finish.” BonnieSummer and Bird, by Katherine Catmull; Dutton
“The writing style… haunts you.” – KristaSummer of the Gypsy Moths, by Sara Pennypacker; Balzer+Bray
“The bonding and the theme of the connection between the two girls…” – CassidyThree Times Lucky, by Sheila Turnage; Dial Books
“…many plot twists mixed with great elements of suspense kept me enthralled.” – MehlynnTracks, by Diane Wilson; McElderry Books
“The setting had a strong effect… the characters felt strong and believable.” – BonnieUnfortunate Son, by Constance Leeds; Viking
“…how the author made every moment memorable.” – CassidyUngifted, by Gordon Korman; Balzer+Bray
“…heartwarming and hilarious at the same time.” – MehlynnWonder, by R. J. Palacio; Knopf
“…the multi-person point of view worked really well because you saw how different people felt about the boy and his face.” – Mikala

I am proud of these kids’ accomplishment to come up with their own nomination list again this year. What other titles would you suggest we consider for our Mock Newbery Award in January?

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Summary: Cecily longs to return to her beloved Edgeley Hall, where her father was lord of the manor. But now he has completely ruined her life. He is moving them to Caernarvon, in occupied Wales, where he can get a place for almost nothing, since the king needs good strong Englishmen to keep down the vicious Welshmen. At least Cecily will get to be the lady of the house at last-if all goes well. Gwenhwyfar knows all about that house. Once she dreamed of being the lady there herself, until the English came and destroyed the lives of everyone she knows. Now Gwenhwyfar must wait hand and foot on this bratty English girl who has taken what should have been hers. While Cecily struggles to find her place amongst the snobby English landowners, Gwenhwyfar struggles just to survive. And meanwhile the Welsh are not as conquered as they seem. Outside the city walls of Caernarvon, tensions are rising ever higher-until finally they must reach the breaking point.

Summary: Zora Neale Hurston was confident, charismatic, and determined to be extraordinary. As a young woman, Hurston lived and wrote alongside such prominent authors as Langston Hughes and Alain Locke during the Harlem Renaissance. But unfortunately, despite writing the luminary work Their Eyes Were Watching God, she was always short of money. Though she took odd jobs as a housemaid and as the personal assistant to an actress, Zora often found herself in abject poverty. Through it all, Zora kept writing. And though none of her books sold more than a thousand copies while she was alive, she was rediscovered a decade later by a new generation of readers, who knew they had found an important voice of American Literature.

Summary: In the town of Zombay, there is a witch named Graba who has clockwork chicken legs and moves her house around–much like the fairy tale figure of Baba Yaga. Graba takes in stray children, and Rownie is the youngest boy in her household. Rownie’s only real relative is his older brother Rowan, who is an actor. But acting is outlawed in Zombay, and Rowan has disappeared. Desperate to find him, Rownie joins up with a troupe of goblins who skirt the law to put on plays. But their plays are not only for entertainment, and the masks they use are for more than make-believe. The goblins also want to find Rowan–because Rowan might be the only person who can save the town from being flooded by a mighty river.

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Welcome to our blog!

See what we are reading for our 2016 Mock Newbery awards by clicking on the categories under 2015-2016 Club in the category list to the left. We love comments from authors and readers in other Newbery clubs. Please feel free to add some!